This invention relates generally to mooring devices, and more particularly to such a device for quickly mooring a boat to a dock.
Heretofore, small boats have generally been moored to docks by mooring lines, and this has presented certain problems. For example, excess portions of such mooring lines are typically left in large piles on the dock, where they are likely to become entangled with a person's feet. Moreover, when the mooring lines are tied by inexperienced boaters, "granny knots" are frequently used and this type of knot tends to loosen, thereby allowing the boat to slip away from the dock. As a result, there is a need for a device for conveniently and securely mooring small recreational boats to a dock.
Various mooring devices have been developed for mooring large boats to a dock. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,613 discloses docking apparatus designed to allow the operator of a boat to secure the boat to a dock without leaving the controls of the boat. A hooked arm extending from the side of the boat is provided to snag and hold a mooring line suspended from a post on the dock. U.S. Pat. No. 2,764,792 discloses a "pelican type mooring hook" attached to one end of a mooring line, the hook having a spring-operated closure member for securing the hook to a mooring ring on a bouy. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,813,122; 3,763,815; and 1,281,336 also disclose mooring devices.